Hefazat-e-Islam has called a dawn to dusk hartal across the country for Sunday to protest the reported killing of its activists by police and the attack on them by supporters of the ruling party.
The hard-line Islamist group also announced countrywide protests for Saturday.
Hefazat General Secretary Mamunul Haque declared the programs on Friday on behalf of the organization’s Ameer Junayed Babunagari, Ataullah Amin, a member of Hefazat’s public relations cell, told the media.
The programs were announced in the wake of attacks on protesters across the country, including near Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka and Chittagong’s Hathazari, who were demonstrating against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
In Chittagong, Hefazat Organizing Secretary Azizul Haque told the media: “We want the bodies to be handed over to the families without conducting autopsies on them.”
He said five Hefazat activists had died in Chittagong and Brahmanbaria.
“Our protests were not against the government, rather they were against Narendra Modi,” he added.
They were protesting the torture of Muslims in India, Azizul said.
